Bluegrass music

Bluegrass music is considered a form of American roots music with its own roots in the English, Irish and Scottish traditional music of immigrants from the British Isles (particularly the Scots-Irish immigrants of Appalachia), as well as the music of rural African-Americans, jazz, and blues. Like jazz, bluegrass is played with each melody instrument switching off, playing the melody in turn while the others revert to backing; this is in contrast to old-time music, in which all instruments play the melody together or one instrument carried the lead throughout while the others provide accompaniment.

History

Creation

Bluegrass as a style developed sometime during the late mid 1940s. Because of war rationing, recording was limited during this time, and the best we can say is that bluegrass was not played before World War II, and it was being played after. As with any musical genre, no one person can claim to have "invented" it. Rather, bluegrass is an amalgam of old-time music, blues, ragtime and jazz. Nevertheless, bluegrass's beginnings can be traced to one band. Today Bill Monroe is referred to as the "founding father" of bluegrass music; the bluegrass style was named for his band, the Blue Grass Boys, formed in 1939. The 1945 addition of banjo player Earl Scruggs, who played with a three-finger roll now known as "Scruggs style," is pointed to as the key moment in the development of this genre. Monroe's 1945-48 band, which featured banjo player Earl Scruggs, singer/guitarist Lester Flatt, fiddler Chubby Wise and bassist Cedric Rainwater, created the definitive sound and instrumental configuration that remains a model to this day.

Related Topics:
1940s - World War II - Old-time music - Blues - Ragtime - Jazz - Bill Monroe - Blue Grass Boys - Banjo - Earl Scruggs - Lester Flatt

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By some arguments, as long as the Blue Grass Boys were the only band playing this music, it was just their unique style; it could not be considered a musical genre until other bands began performing the same style. In 1947 the Stanley Brothers recorded the traditional song Molly and Tenbrooks in the Blue Grass Boys' style, and this could also be pointed to as the beginning of bluegrass as a genre.

Related Topics:
Blue Grass Boys - The Stanley Brothers

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It is important to note that bluegrass is not and never was a folk music under a strict definition. From its earliest days to today, bluegrass has been recorded and performed by professional musicians. Although amateur bluegrass musicians and trends such as "parking lot picking" are too important to be ignored, it is professional musicians who have set the direction of the genre. While bluegrass is not a folk music in the strictest sense, the interplay between bluegrass music and other folk forms has been studied. Folklorist Dr. Neil Rosenberg, for example, shows that most devoted bluegrass fans and musicians are familiar with traditional folk songs and old-time music and that these songs are often played at festivals and shows.

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First generation

First generation bluegrass musicians dominated the genre from its beginnings in the mid-1940s through the mid-1960s. This group generally consists of those who were playing during the "Golden Age" in the 1950s, including Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys, the Stanley Brothers, Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs with the Foggy Mountain Boys, and Don Reno.

Related Topics:
Bill Monroe - Blue Grass Boys - Stanley Brothers - Lester Flatt - Earl Scruggs - Foggy Mountain Boys - Don Reno

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Second generation

Bluegrass's second generation came to prominence in the mid- to late-1960s, although many of the second generation musicians were playing (often at young ages) in first generation bands prior to this. Among the most prominent second generation musicians are J. D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson, and Tony Rice. With the second generation came a growth in progressive bluegrass, as exemplified by second generation bands such as the New Grass Revival, Seldom Scene, and Osborne Brothers.

Related Topics:
J. D. Crowe - Doyle Lawson - Tony Rice - Progressive bluegrass - New Grass Revival - Seldom Scene - Osborne Brothers

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The Grateful Dead evinced a strong bluegrass influence in many songs during this period, particularly on the albums Workingman's Dead and American Beauty. Their side project, New Riders of the Purple Sage, delved even deeper into the bluegrass style. Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia also recorded a number of exclusively bluegrass albums with David Grisman, a notable bluegrass artist in his own right, as Old and in the Way.

Related Topics:
The Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead - American Beauty - New Riders of the Purple Sage - Jerry Garcia - David Grisman - Old and in the Way

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Third generation

The third generation in bluegrass reached primacy in the mid-1980s. Third generation bluegrass saw a number of notable changes from the music played in previous years. In several regards, this generation saw a redefinition of "mainstream bluegrass." Increased availability of high-quality sound equipment led to each band member being miked independently, and a "wall of sound" style developed (exemplified by IIIrd Tyme Out and Lonesome River Band). Following the example set by Tony Rice, lead guitar playing became more common (and more elaborate) and few bands had a rhythm guitarist. An electric bass became a generally, but not universally, accepted alternative to the traditional acoustic bass, though electrification of other instruments continued to meet resistance outside progressive circles. Nontraditional chord progressions also became more widely accepted. On the other hand, this generation saw a rennaissance of more traditional songs, played in the newer style.

Related Topics:
IIIrd Tyme Out - Lonesome River Band

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Fourth generation

It could be argued that a fourth generation of bluegrass musicians is beginning to appear. Although it is too soon to see definite trends, the most notable fourth generation musician to emerge so far is probably Chris Thile, who released solo bluegrass albums at age 13 and 16 (Leading Off and Stealing Second respectively), before reaching wider fame as a member of the bluegrass-influenced acoustic band Nickel Creek.

Related Topics:
Chris Thile - Leading Off - Stealing Second - Nickel Creek

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